A roundup of science fiction releases for August 2026, featuring space operas, post-apocalyptic survival stories, and multiverse mysteries.
Key facts
- •Richard Swan’s new novel is set in a fascist empire and explores themes of democracy.
- •Kim Bo-young’s story features a plague that turns people into monsters in a Korean village.
- •M. John Harrison’s 'The End of Everything' has been longlisted for the Booker prize.
- •The New Scientist Book Club is currently reading Peter Heller’s 'The Dog Stars'.
- •A new horror novel follows the release of an otherworldly entity in New England.
August 2026 brings several new science fiction titles, including works by Richard Swan and Kim Bo-young. The selection spans various subgenres, from galaxy-spanning political dramas to post-apocalyptic survival tales and multiverse mysteries.
Empire and Survival Stories
Richard Swan’s latest novel follows Katherine Fuller, a wealthy widow in a fascist, galaxy-spanning empire who attempts to establish a democracy after being given the chance to buy a world. Meanwhile, Kim Bo-young’s new work features a bodyguard named Mu-young who becomes trapped in an isolated Korean seaside village after an earthquake triggers an ancient plague that transforms victims into monsters.
Post-Apocalyptic and Multiverse Tales
The list includes a space opera involving a graduate student and a spy tasked with stopping a rogue comet and recovering a universe-destroying jewel. Another entry explores a world 200 years after humanity loses the ability to reproduce, following two survivors named Mouse and Cat. Additionally, a murder mystery features a dog named Oona who can travel between dimensions to investigate the death of a local celebrity.
Thriller and Horror Releases
A survival thriller set over the course of six hours follows a family trapped on a roof during a major flood. Another horror-survival novel depicts the aftermath of a failed government project that accidentally releases an otherworldly entity into the New England countryside, leaving a survivor to navigate the deadly East Coast three years later.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by New Scientist.
